Trackers vs. Media Servers

How to choose a source of truth between trackers and media servers.

Trackers and media servers solve different problems. Do not treat them as interchangeable.

Trackers

Trackers include Trakt, SIMKL, and MDBList.

Best for:

  • A portable watch history across devices.

  • Ratings and recommendations.

  • Watchlists that outlive any single server.

  • One profile across multiple servers.

Media servers

Media servers include Plex, Jellyfin, and Emby.

Best for:

  • Scanning files and building a playable library.

  • Streaming to your devices.

  • Local users and profiles.

  • Playback state for what actually played.

This is the safest default.

Reasons:

  • The server knows what actually played.

  • The tracker turns it into portable history.

  • Multiple servers still roll up into one tracker profile.

  • Server ratings can feed the tracker ecosystem.

circle-info

If you must pick a source of truth, do this:

  • Media server for playback.

  • Tracker for long-term history and discovery.

When to sync tracker to media server

Do this only when you know the risks. It can overwrite local users and curated libraries.

Common reasons:

  • You only use the server as a playback surface.

  • Your tracker is the only place you edit lists and ratings.

Last updated